The Soldier's New Journey
by ObsessionOutlet
Summary: After Zack died, the Lifestream has given him a second chance in the world of Fairy Tail. However, he has no memories of his past, his friends, or the great evil that is going to follow. Soon, he must fight his former friends, enemies, and even...himself. (First Xover, I will end up doing LucyXZack. Note: Starts before the Tower of Heaven arc.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! This is my new story, I hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail or Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.**

**Opening: Angel With A Shotgun**

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Solider In Fiore!**

In the aftermath of the battle, a boy with black hair, lying on the ground bullet-riddled, reaches towards his blonde friend. His tears are already streaming down his face, but he does not sob. He takes a moment to speak.

"C-Cloud…"

The blonde rushes to his friend, crying himself, and takes his friend's outstretched hand. His words are lost to the boy, but that is to be expected. The black-haired boy lifts the massive blade lying on the ground to his right, and hands it to the blonde.

"C-Cloud…take this." The blonde tries to refuse the blade, but it is forced into his hands. "Take this. Use it to protect your honor, always, and remember your pride…as…a…SOLDIER…"

As his last words trail off, and the black-haired boy's body goes limp, the blonde weeps. As the blonde recollects himself and leaves, the black-haied boy musters one last act of strength, and speaks one last bit. He reaches his arm towards the sky, an image of his deceased friend appearing before him.

"_Hey, would you say I became a hero?"_

As the lifestream takes him, the blonde's words finally make it to him. _"You did. You became the greatest hero." _

The black-haired boy closes his eyes, and accepts his fate. Much to his surprise, however, as he enters the lifestream, a voice speaks to him, telling him to open his eyes. He obliges, and is greeted by a sight of the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. The image doesn't last, and he is plummeted towards the earth.

As he falls towards the ground, he suddenly slows to a floating descent towards the planet. He rights himself as he descends, and feels a familiar weight on his back. _You shouldn't enter danger without a weapon. _He looks around for the source of the voice, but fails to find it as his feet touch the ground. He takes a look around, and realizes he is in a town.

In his moment of dumbfoundedness, he fails to notice the streak of pink hair ushing towards him. "Hey, mister! Move out of the way!"

The black-haired boy turns in time to be greeted by another male slamming into him, knocking both of them over. The pink-hair boy leaps up first, and bows in apology. "Sorry, mister! I'm in a hurry!"

As the boy with pink hair begins to run away, the black-haired boy grabs his ankle. "Damn, that's the hadest I've ever been hit…" He stands up, letting go of the other boy's ankle. "I'm Zack Fair. I gotta say, boy. You hit damn hard for a scawny guy like yourself."

The pink-haired boy cocks his head at Zack, but gets over his confusion quickly. "Oh, well I'm Natsu Dagneel. And you felt like a brick wall."

Zack gave a hearty laugh when a woman's voice called out from behind them. "Natsu, did you run into him? Did you at least apologize?"

Zack turned to the voice, and saw a girl with beautiful chocolate eyes, and blonde hair. He of course kept his cool, and walked towards the girl. "If I said he _did _hit me, would I be able to take you out to dinner?"

The girl blushed at this, and turned her head. "You should at least ask a girl's name before jumping into stuff like that…"

Zack did a small flair with his hair, flicking his bangs forward. "Ah, my apologies. What is your name?"

The girl had stopped blushing, but still seemed a bit sheepish to look at him. "My name is Lucy Heartifilia. Pleased to meet you, but we must be going." The girl began to walk away, seeing Natsu was already gone.

Zack stepped in front of her gently. "Where are you going?"

She avoided his eyes. "W-we're going to our guild."

Zack blinked thrice. "Gui…ld?"

Lucy seemed shocked. "You don't know what a guild is?"

Zack shook his head. "No. What is it? It sounds interesting."

Lucy promptly grabbed his right hand, and began dragging him. "You're coming with us."

Zack was a bit shocked, but quickly fell in step with her. "Okay. And as much as I enjoy holding your hand, I _can _walk for myself."

Lucy let go of his hand, blushing furiously as they walked. It wasn't long before he was greeted by the sight of a huge building, and he felt his jaw drop a bit.

"Wow…"

As he said this however, memories he didn't remember began flooding his head, causing him to fall to his knees screaming in pain. He saw a man in red, then a massive creature, then a fight. He couldn't make sense of it, but it ended almost as quickly as it began.

"Z-Zack?" Lucy asked, worry in her eyes.

Zack rose to his feet quickly. "It's nothing. Nothing…" Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember anything from before his being in the town.

Lucy shrugged, and pushed the doors open to the building. "Welcome! To Fairy Tail!"

Inside, it was like chaos. Chairs were thrown all over, people were fighting and drinking everywhere. And was that…magic? _Yes, child. That is magic. It flows freely through this world. And it is now that you shall discover yours. _What was that voice talking about this time?

Suddenly, Lucy stepped back. "Z-Zack. Why are you using magic?"

Zack looked around, seeing everyone had stopped and was staring at his feet. He looked down, and all hell followed. The gold magic seal below him triggered, and golden arrow-like objects shot out, directing themselves at the guild members. Most were dodged, while others were blocked. That was not the end, though, as he felt a palpable shift in the gravity around him.

The members began to cy out in pain, as Zack panicked. He tried striking strange poses in order to negate the magic, to no avail. The magic wore off on its own however, and he quickly fell to his knees. Everyone glared at him, but apparently all figured out it was not intentional, and lifted him up, and laid him on a table.

"Well, that was a bit of a shock." A voice came from his right. He turned his head, and saw a short man with gray hair looking up at him."It's been a while since I've seen Heavenly Body Magic. Quite a rare find."

Zack was confused. "What?"

"You are here to join, right? We could use a mage like you!" The man said.

Zack was still a bit confused, but he nodded. "Okay. I'll join."

The man gave a bight smile. "I'm Makarov. Where do you want your guild seal?"

Zack sat up. "Uh…over my heart. I guess."

Makarov nodded, and produced a stamping device, and Zack took his shit off. The women all took a second to bask in his muscles, something that were hidden very well by his clothes. Makarov stamped Zack's chest, right over his heart. Zack put his shirt back on, and some of the girls pouted as they walked off.

Zack looked at Lucy, who was looking away with a blush on her face. "So, that was magic, huh?" He leaped off of the table, clearly recovered, and began doing squats. "I don't know if any of you felt like that, but it felt like…well, like a gate was opened in my heart, and all the power just came flowing out."

Natsu and Gray were off fighting again, and Lucy and Zack appeared to have been left alone. Zack failed to notice why Lucy was so flustered. Of course, he had never seen his own muscles, so he had no clue just why Lucy was looking away.

Lucy finally composed herself, hiding a small nosebleed with her hand. "Y-yeah. I kinda felt like that too, the first time I did it." She blushed again. "Magic! The first time I did magic!"

Zack had not paid much attention. "Now what? I mean, this looks fun and all, but it seems like it might get boring after a while…"

Lucy smiled. "Maybe we should go on a job? My rent is coming due soon, anyway."

Zack's ears perked up, and he stopped doing squats. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

**Ending Song: (I can't think of one -u-)**

**Well, first chapter! Tell me what you think, this IS my first crossover.**

**Oh, and if any of you are reading this and want to give me a job idea, I'll gladly accept it.**

**'Till next time! Sayonara!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AU: So, for those who didn't notice, I, uh, put a little note in the summary 'cause I'm an idiot and forgot to set the arc up in-story. Sorry about that.**

**Zack: C'mon, idiot! Step it up already!**

**Lucy: Be nice, Zack!**

**AU: Anyways, uh, here's the next chapter.**

**AU, Zack, Lucy: Enjoy!**

**Opening Song: Angel With a Shotgun**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Bandits' Way!**

Zack and Lucy stood in front of the Request Board, looking the jobs over. Lucy was trying to find an easy job, while Zack was looking for a job that would be action-packed. In the end, the two of them settled on a job hunting a group of bandits. Natsu, Gay, and Erza wanted to tag along, but Lucy shot them down. As they walked to the train station, Lucy looked up at Zack's sky blue eyes.

_Oh my gods, they're so pretty. _Lucy thought to herself as they stepped onto the train station's platform.

"Is something the matter, Lucy? You've been staring at me for a while now." Zack said.

Lucy immediately blushed, and began waving her hands frantically. "No! Nothing's wrong!"

Zack shrugged as the train arrived. They took seats opposite each other, and sat out most of the short train ride in silence. Lucy had been idly twiddling he thumbs, but finally worked up the nerve to speak.

"So, um, Zack…" Lucy said nervously.

Zack looked at her. "What's up, Lucy?"

Lucy couldn't meet his gaze. "Uhm, why are your eyes glowing? Is it some kind of magic or something?"

Zack tapped his chin in thought. "Well, I don't know." He shook his head. "I really can't remember."

Lucy looked a bit disappointed. "Oh. Okay, then."

They sat the rest of the train ride out in silence. The town approached rapidly, and they disembarked the moment it pulled into the station. The moment Zack stepped out into the warm glow of the sunlight, he was bombarded by more memories.

He saw a small town, strange overhanging trees with white apples. He saw fire falling from the sky. As his mind cleared, he realized people were staring. He stood up, and grabbed Lucy's right hand. Lucy jumped, but Zack began leading her out of the small landing, and they stopped when they were in the town square.

She tilted her head with worry, but he quickly breathed a sigh of relief. "That's the second time I've gotten one of those flashes…" He shook his head. "I can't make sense of any of it yet."

Lucy still looked at him worriedly. "Are you sure you are up to doing this mission? We can do another one…"

Zack shook his head. "I'm fine." He let go of her hand. "Let's go find this 'Lia' girl. She's the one that put the mission up."

Lucy dismissed her worry and followed as he walked towards the inn. They walked in, and it was barren. There was a shot girl sitting at the counter, and turned around as they entered. Zack mentally ran over the description, and approached the girl at the counter.

"Are you Lia?" He asked her.

She nodded. "You guys are the mages here to deal with the bandits?"

Lucy nodded. "Yep."

The girl sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. They are camped out to the west, which is closing off our only supply route. Everyone here would be grateful for your help."

Zack and Lucy left, and walked towards the West exit of the town. It didn't take long after leaving for the bandit camp to come into sight. They hid behind some nearby bushes to plan.

"How do you want to do this? Head-on assault? Pick them off one-by-one?" Zack asked Lucy in a whisper.

"I think a head-on assault would be the best plan." Lucy whispered back.

Zack nodded, and stood up. Lucy began fumbling at her keys, and found Taurus'. She called Taurus out. "Moo! Lucy, nice body as always!"

Lucy blushed when she saw Zack staring at Taurus. "Uh…you and Zack are going to attack that group of bandits over there."

Taurus gave an affirmative '_Moo!' _and the three of them walked towards the camp. As they approached, the bandits took up arms, and stood in their faces.

"Yo. Three of ya lost, or somethin'?" The biggest one asked.

"Actually, no. We're right where we want to be." He gripped his sword's hilt.

"Oho. Someone's got some gut-" He was cut off by Zack's glowing gold fist in his gut. The man coughed in order to try and gather some breath. The others were stunned, and Zack monopolized on his opportunity, taking two more of them out before they finally snapped back in gear.

Two of them used Guns Magic, and shot at him with a green magic seal bursting from the barrels of their guns. Zack crossed his arms in defense, and a thought came to him. _Hold your hands out parallel to your right. _He obliged the voice in his head, and held his arms out, parallel to each other, to his right.

Much to everyone's surprise, a gold magic seal appeared there. From it, several golden arrow-like rays shot out towards the remaining bandits. Four of them blocked, and the other three took a ray to the gut. Another thought came to Zack: _Call out: 'Meteor'. It'll give you a massive speed and strength boost. _Zack nodded.

"Meteor!" Zack's entire body began to glow gold. He didn't bother to look, and shot forward to punch two more of the bandits in the face. The two that were left standing looked at each other, and promptly began running away. Zack didn't bother to give chase, and he walked over to Lucy and Taurus as the magic faded.

He began rolling his right shoulder. "Well. That was quick. I was hoping for more of a challenge." He pulled out the flyer. "'100,000 Jewel'. That much for this? Well, that's easy."

Lucy groaned. "I still need another 20,000 after the split…"

Zack smiled at her. "You can take 70,000. I can just stay with you for a little while."

Lucy giggled nervously. "Natsu does that…he likes to sneak into my bed at night."

Zack barely paid that any mind, and began tieing up the bandits. "Is that cow-man just gonna stand there? Or is he gonna help?"

Taurus jumped a little, and grabbed all the ones that were tied up. The three of them began walking, and they deposited the bandits in the center of town. They only got 50,000, however. Lia explained that the second part of the job was to watch the roads in case the bandits returned. Zack and Lucy both groaned, and went out the West exit again.

They arrived at the destroyed bandit camp, and Zack looked around. Zack had begun fanning himself with his shirt, and was grumbling complaints about the heat. After a while his complaints became more audible.

"Lucy, is it hot out to you?" Zack was fanning himself furiously with his shirt. "Because it's like Hell to me."

Lucy shook her head. "It's not hot to me."

Zack scowled. "Y'know what. Screw this." Zack began pulling his shirt off, and Lucy had to turn away to hide a nosebleed. "Oh, man, that feels better!"

Lucy barely had time to make a sound as a pair of hands wrapped around her mouth. She squealed as she was pulled into the bushes. Zack turned to where she was, and started to panic when he saw she wasn't there.

He began running in the direction she had been standing in, figuring that would be the best way to find her. He ignored the low-hanging branches, getting small cuts on his chest and sides. After a few solid minutes of running, he arrived in a large clearing. He spotted the three bandits dragging Lucy along just passing the middle of the clearing.

He followed a new impulse in the back of his head, and leaped into the air. As soon as he reached the highest point of his jump, he held his left hand out in front of him palm-up, and put his right hand in his left palm, making the peace sign with his right hand as he did.

Seven magic circles flew up, making what appeared to be a constellation in front of him. "Grand Chariot!" He called out, as seven beams of light shot forward towards the bandits, and created the same shape on the ground in front of them. "Meteor!" He wasted no time in calling this out.

He shot forward like a rocket, and punched at the first bandit. Much to Zack's surprise, the bandit _caught _his fist. The bandit gave him a smile before throwing him to the right. Zack stood up, and growled. Another impulse. He held his hands directly above his head, crossed at the hands.

"Altaris!"

Shadows began gathering as a small black ball over his hands, which began to rapidly grow in size, and got several white lights, making appear like the night sky. AS soon as it was at full size, Zack 'threw' it forward. It began to tear towards the three, when it just seemingly vanished. Zack caught a glimpse of a pulsation that appeared like a wave. He gritted his teeth, and his eyes seemed to go white. _This is your power. Your strongest attack. Use it well. _The voice meant nothing to him, and he leaped into the air.

At his highest point, he crossed his hands over his chest, and a massive gold seal appeared in front of him. His arms appeared to be in seven different places at once, forming a clock shape around him. His hands then became a blur, forming several shapes. It finally ended with a diamond directly in front of him, marking the launch of the attack.

"Alpha!"

The air itself seemed to vibrate, then stop. He felt the air stop, and shot towards the bandits, easily twenty times faster than before. He began dealing blow after blow to each of them, carefully avoiding Lucy. He didn't let up when he felt the air's vibrations starting again, and, in fact, sped up. As the air regained its normal feeling, each of the three bandits began jerking in all different directions, representing each punch Zack made.

Lucy was launched into the air, and Zack jumped and caught her. He landed, and started running towards where they had been stationed earlier. Lucy was just staring wide-eyed at the three bandits as they faded out of view.

Zack was panting as he set Lucy down, and removed her bindings. He almost collapsed on top of her, but managed to keep himself upright. Both of them were too shocked or too lost to speak, so they sat there in silence for a moment.

Lucy bit her bottom lip as Zack looked away. "Zack."

Zack turned to her. "What is it Luc-"

Lucy leaned upwards and kissed him gently on the lips. "That's for saving me." She said in a low whisper that Zack barely picked up.

Zack began fumbling for words, and Lucy giggled. Zack finally spoke. "I-It was nothing. I was just…uh…worried."

They both stood, and Lucy had a smile on her face. "I know. But that didn't make you any less heroic." Lucy stepped closer, and leaned into Zack's chest. "You looked great while you were saving me."

Zack was speechless. He really had gone to save Lucy because he was worried, but there was something else there. Some other emotion that he couldn't place. He was a bit disappointed as Lucy stepped away. They finished their watch in almost perfect silence, and collected the reward. As Zack gave Lucy the extra 20,000 she needed, he got another flash of memories. A girl with brown hair, a flower cart, flowers in a run-down church. He put his hand on the side of his head as the memories ended, and the two of them walked towards the train platform, still in silence.

As they boarded the train, they began to chat mindlessly about things that didn't matter to Zack. His mind was too busy buzzing over the kiss, and how Lucy had leaned into his chest. He had also started daydreaming about them having a relationship, but put that to a stop really fast. _Girls chase me, not the other way around. _He told himself mentally. After a while, they drifted into an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

**Ending Song: Nightcore Ver. of Remember The Name**

**AU: Well, there we go. My first non-canon spell, Lucy's second nosebleed, and their fist kiss. What lies in store for next chapter? You'll just have to wait and see!**

**Next: Chapter 3: Blossoming Emotion?!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AU: Oh my god, it's been THREE MONTHS. I'm sooooooooo sorry.**

**Zack: Bad author. **

**Lucy: Stop it Zack!**

**AU: Anyway. I'm not gonna keep you waiting anymore.**

* * *

**Intro Song: Angel With A Shotgun**

**Chapter 3: Blossoming Emotion?!**

Zack sat in the back of Fairy Tail, leaning back in a chair against a wall. His mind was active with thought, trying to comprehend the images he had been seeing, and also trying to understand why he felt so...light-hearted when Lucy came around, which she did rather often, checking on him. He tried to name the thing he felt, but never could. He must've fallen asleep, because he was awoken by a firey fist to the face. He was send flying into the nearby wall and grunt.

"Gah! What the hell, Natsu?!" Zack stood up and dusted himself off.

"Yo, yellow-head. We're going to the beach and Lucy..." He turns and nods to Lucy, who is standing shyly behind a pillar. "...wanted me to invite you."

Zack sighed. "And you had to hit me?"

"You were asleep!"

"Whatever, hot-head." A sudden thought came to him. He could see Lucy...in a swimsuit. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I'm in."

"Alright. Pack yer stuff and..." He remembers that Zack doesn't have anything. "Let's just go to Lucy's and wait for the rest."

Lucy slowly slinks over, very shy and smiles, a blush apparent on her face. "Y-you're coming with us?"

Zack nods. "Yep."

Natsu groans. "Ugh. I need to go find ice-brain. You guys go do something 'till Erza and us are ready." Natsu storms off, and Happy giggles as he follows.

Lucy blushes deeper and starts walking toward her house, Zack following mindlessly. He is, once again, daydreaming about them having a relationship. He shakes his head. "Gah..." In his absent-mindedness, he walks right into Lucy, who had stopped and they both fell down, him on top of her. "Ow!"

Lucy averts his eyes, and then, in a surprise turn of events, Zack blushes. "S-Sorry!" He stands up quickly, and takes her hand to help her up. She pulls herself up, and then into his chest. She mumbles something that he can't hear. "What was that, Lucy?"

She blushes and steps away quickly. "N-nothing!"

Zack raises an eyebrow, and then shrugs. "Let's go inside."

Lucy nods without speaking and then opens the door. She goes and sits down, and he sits next to her, not speaking, but smiling. This silence continues for a while until the door is suddenly thrown open by Natsu.

"Yo! It's time to go!" He yells.

Lucy grabs the bag she had packed, and Zack stands up. They all travel toward the train station, Erza overloaded with stuff, but carrying it easily, Natsu with his bag, Lucy with a small duffel bag, and Gray with...well, his clothes. As usual, many of the citizens stood and stared, but one they passed caught Zack's attention. It was a tall, muscular man with black, slicked back hair, except for the bangs. He seemed to be going the same way as them, so Zack shrugged it off, but the nagging in the back of his head persisted.

As they got on the train, what a shock, the man was there. About halfway through the train ride, Zack got his 'memory flashes' as he called them. He sees taht same man, saving him several times from multiple different situations, all carrying the sword Zack now carries. The flash slows, however, as the man merges with three other..._creatures _to make one, ugly conglomerate of the four. He watches himself fight the beast, and then defeat it, leaving the man laying on the ground, dying. The man hands Zack his sword, and Zack hears himself scream.

"Angeal!"

Then, the flashes end, and everyone in the immediate area is staring at him. All except the man, who was intently staring at his right hand. Zack leapt out of his seat and stormed over to him, and smiled. "Angeal! You're alive!"

The man looked confused as he looked up. "Angeal...? My name is... What _is _my name...?" He went back to looking at the back of his hand.

Zack sat down across from him. "Angeal? What's the matter?" He looks at Angeal, as it is clearly him.

Angeal shakes his head. "I remember the name...Jenova. And Genesis, and Sephiroth... Am I...Angeal?"

Zack blinked a bit rapidly. _Is he not getting these flashes too? _He purses his lips, then stands up and heads back to Erza, Natsu, Gray and Lucy and sits back down.

"What was that all about?" Gray asks, Natsu knocked out with his head in Erza's lap.

Zack sat. "I thought I knew him."

Lucy leaned over and whispered to him. "_Memory flash?"_

Zack nods. "_Yup."_

Lucy smiles and sets her hand on top of Zack's left hand and she blushes slightly. Gray leans back in his seat and groans, complaining about the train ride. Erza has her eyes closed and passively dismisses his complaints. The rest of the train ride was rather dull, and they arrived soon after Zack's outburst. As they got off the train, Natsu yelled for joy, Happy floating behind him.

"Ahhh! Finally off that damn train!" He takes a deep breath and Erza smiles.

Lucy is standing next to Zack and gently tugs on his hand, and leans up and whispers to him. "_Come with me._" Zack complies obediently, and she leads him toward the resort, taking him behind a beach shack that was nearby. He leans against the building with a sly smile on his face.

"What's up, Lucy?" He speaks smoothly.

She bites her bottom lip. "U-uhm...Z-Zack?"

"Yes?"

Lucy is visibly nervous about something . "S-so, the r-reason I asked y-you here i-is uhm..."

He smiles and tilts her chin up slightly. "You want to...'get to know me better'?" He speaks in a playful tone, but is taking this very seriously.

Lucy blushes darker and nods slightly. "A-aye..."

Zack smiles and leans in, taking a big whiff of her scent. "You just had to ask."

Lucy blushes darker. "W-we gotta keep it secret for now though...I...I think Natsu likes me..."

Zack leans in and gives her a quick kiss, and Gray comes from around the corner, chuckling. "Well, well. seems we got a couple of 'forbidden lovers' back here."

Zack steps away from Lucy, and cracks his neck. "You want to fight over her? I think I'll win, ice-brain."

Gray smiles. "Actually, I do." He holds his hands out in his Ice-Make pose. "Ice Make: Lance!" A dozen ice lances shoot toward Zack, who pulls out his sword and smiles. "Meteor!" His body glows gold and he spins the blade, shattering the lances. He then puts the blade away and shoots toward Gray, punching him in the gut, causing Gray to fall over.

Zack smiles. "I win." He then takes Lucy's hand and leads her back to the group, chuckling as he notices Juvia fawning over Gray's unconscious body.

He goes back and recovers Gray, and they all head to the main office to check in. Angeal smirks, hidden around the corner, out of sight from the group. He lifts his wrist to his mouth. "I see them. And he thinks I have no memory."

A voice comes through, and it laughs. "Good. Keep watching them."

Angeal nods. "Yes. Jellal-sama."

* * *

**AU: DUN DUN DUN.**

**Zack: Shut up.**

**Au: Angeal's a bad guy this time 'round. Anyway. I promise not to keep you guys waiting so long this time. See you next chapter~!**

**Next chapter: Chapter 4: A Striking Twist!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AU: Well, after another long, agonizing wait, here it is! Chapter 4.**

**Zack: Geez, man. Do you just forget about us?**

**Lucy: Zack! I'm sure he's just busy.**

**All: Well, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

**Opening: Angel With A Shotgun**

**Chapter 4: A Striking Twist**

Zack sat in his room, laying on the couch. The other four had gone on ahead to the beach. He didn't feel too up to it, for whatever reason. Instead, he had stayed in his room. After a half-hour of sitting still, he couldn't take it anymore. He leapt to his feet and began doing squats, just to be busy. After an hour of this, there was a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" He calls, instinctively gripping the hilt of his blade.

"I-it's me, Zack." Lucy's voice comes through clear as day to him, despite the fact that she is speaking quietly.

He quickly walks to the door and unlocks it, finding Lucy, yes, but not alone. Standing behind her, with his hand on the back of her throat, is Angeal. Lucy gulps as Angeal chuckles.

"Long time no see, Zack."

Zack takes a step back out of shock. "A-Angeal! What are you doing?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm using your little girlfriend here to get you to come along nice and quiet like."

Zack would normally fight that...but he had Lucy. He held his hands up in defeat. "Alright. I'll come."

Angeal smirks. "Good. I'll leave the girly here, and she can deal with my friends down in the casino when the time comes."

Zack walks over to Angeal, who then forces his hands behind his back and puts magic handcuffs on his wrists. He then drops Lucy on the ground and begins pushing Zack by the back, leading him away. Lucy sits, stunned, on the floor.

Angeal weaves an intricate path through the hotel, avoiding the rest of Zack's group, to a boat on the far side of the island. Zack's mind is working hard, trying to figure it out. _I could use Meteor, then run. But I'm sure he's accounted for that...I could headbutt him, but I don't think that'd affect him. Gah! What do I do?! I'm trapped like a dog! _

He suddenly falls to his knees, a certain memory now returning to him. He is standing on a very rocky place, almost a mountain. He sees hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers standing in front of him, guns pointed at him. Behind him a ways back, hidden, is a boy with blonde hair. He shakes his head with a faint smile on his face. _"Boy oh boy...the price of freedom is steep." _He draws his blade and holds it in front of him, flat side facing him. _"Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honor...as SOLDIER!" _As he shouts the last word, he charges the enemies, shouting, _"Come and get it!" _ As he fights, it would be obvious that the battle cannot be won, not by him. After a few solid minutes of fighting, the memory of three people flashes through his mind...one with grey hair, one with red, and one with black. And then...the memories vanish. The fight continues, the gruesome, gruesome slaughter of a man fighting for his freedom and right to live. Then, the memory of another three pass through his head. The blonde boy, Angeal, and a beautiful woman with brown hair and a pink ribbon. The fight continues for a long, long while until Zack is heaving for breath and badly hurt. Three more soldiers close in on him as a helicopter circles like a vulture. He is slow, too slow, and the soldiers keep shooting and shooting. He can't fight them anymore. Soon, his vision begins fading in and out of black. The soldiers unload into him until he falls down, then one of them walks to him and, after a moment of debate, fires one last bullet in the head. Eventually, he comes to...but it will be short lived. As the blonde boy runs over, he reaches out to him, his tears are already streaming down his face, but he does not sob. He takes a moment to speak.

_"C-Cloud…"_

The blonde rushes to his friend, crying himself, and takes his friend's outstretched hand. His words are lost to the boy, but that is to be expected. The black-haired boy lifts the massive blade lying on the ground to his right, and hands it to the blonde.

_"C-Cloud…take this."_ The blonde tries to refuse the blade, but it is forced into his hands. _"Take this. Use it to protect your honor, always, and remember your pride…as…a…SOLDIER…"_

As his last words trail off, and Zack's body goes limp, the blonde weeps. As the blonde recollects himself and leaves, Zack boy musters one last act of strength, and speaks one last bit. He reaches his arm towards the sky, an image of his deceased friend appearing before him.

"_Hey, would you say I became a hero?"_

As the lifestream takes him, the blonde's words finally make it to him. _"You did. You became the greatest hero."_

Zack closes his eyes, and accepts his fate.

He gasps as he re-surfaces into reality. He is on the boat, far from the shore, but he's not thinking about that. _What was that...am I...dead? No. There's no way! I can feel pain! I can feel heat! I can feel cold! But...that's my memory. Did Angeal go through this too?_

"Angeal..."

"What?"

"Are we...dead?"

Angeal sighs. "I don't know, Zack. I remember you killing me, then the Lifestream taking me. Then a voice telling me that I'd be here. Then...I was here."

"Oh. I see."

"But none of that matters now. What's past is past."

"I guess..."

Zack falls silent, remaining so for the rest of the boat ride.

**Ending: Remember The Name**

* * *

**AU: I couldn't think of a better time for him to remember that, since he'll hace his own battle while the others deal with Jellal.**

**Zack: Why do you make me remember?**

**AU: It's a plot device! Anyway, see you all next chapter~!**

**Next Chapter: Chapter 5: The SOLDIERS, Reunited?!**


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